This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-35560361
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Mali jihadist mortar attack kills five UN peacekeepers | |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| Five UN peacekeepers have been killed in a mortar attack on their base in Kidal in northern Mali. | Five UN peacekeepers have been killed in a mortar attack on their base in Kidal in northern Mali. |
| Thirty others were hurt when militants used a van packed with explosives to ram the Kidal base, before attacking it with mortar and machine gunfire. | |
| Mali jihadist group Ansar Dine said it carried out an attack. | |
| UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has condemned the assault - the latest in what has become the most dangerous of the UN's current peacekeeping missions. | |
| The UN is trying to restore peace to the north, which was overrun in 2012 by jihadists and ethnic Tuareg groups. | The UN is trying to restore peace to the north, which was overrun in 2012 by jihadists and ethnic Tuareg groups. |
| The al-Qaeda-linked insurgents, who fell out with Tuareg separatists, were ousted from northern towns by a French led-force in 2013. | The al-Qaeda-linked insurgents, who fell out with Tuareg separatists, were ousted from northern towns by a French led-force in 2013. |
| Ansar Dine claimed the attack by a "Mauritanian jihadist" as "a message to the crusader aggressors and all those who support them" in a statement carried by a Mauritanian news agency. | |
| The group is responsible for several previous assaults. | |
| Last June, Tuareg-led rebels and other Arab groups seeking more autonomy for the north signed a ceasefire agreement with the government. | Last June, Tuareg-led rebels and other Arab groups seeking more autonomy for the north signed a ceasefire agreement with the government. |
| UN chief Ban Ki-moon says attacks on peacekeepers "constitute a war crime," and will not deter them from supporting the Malian government. | UN chief Ban Ki-moon says attacks on peacekeepers "constitute a war crime," and will not deter them from supporting the Malian government. |
| Three of those killed on Friday were from Guinea. The nationalities of the other dead and wounded have not been revealed. | |
| The attack in Kidal comes 48 hours after the UN representative in the country, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, visited the area. | The attack in Kidal comes 48 hours after the UN representative in the country, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, visited the area. |
| It is the latest in a series of attacks on the UN force, made up of 10,000 soldiers from dozens of different contributor countries - the majority from Mali's West African neighbours. | It is the latest in a series of attacks on the UN force, made up of 10,000 soldiers from dozens of different contributor countries - the majority from Mali's West African neighbours. |
| "This serious act reflects the disarray of the enemies of peace since it comes at a time when the implementation of the peace agreement increasingly becomes a reality in Mali," Mr Annadif said in a statement. | "This serious act reflects the disarray of the enemies of peace since it comes at a time when the implementation of the peace agreement increasingly becomes a reality in Mali," Mr Annadif said in a statement. |
| In a separate incident, three Malian soldiers were killed in an ambush on a military convoy near Timbuktu. It is not clear who is behind the attack. | In a separate incident, three Malian soldiers were killed in an ambush on a military convoy near Timbuktu. It is not clear who is behind the attack. |
| Militancy in Mali | Militancy in Mali |